Category: Follow Through

How to Master the Golf Follow-Through – The Essential Guide

November 15, 2023 Dan No Comments

Golf is known to be a game of precision and technique. Indeed, each swing combines numerous elements to achieve the desired outcome. One critical aspect, often overlooked, is the follow-through. That being said, this is the essential guide on how to master the golf follow-through.

Now, you might ask, “Why is it so vital?”. First and foremost, the follow-through is a reflection of your swing. Without it, a golfer’s swing loses its completeness, its finesse.

It has the potential to alter the outcome of a shot dramatically. Not only is it a visual representation of a player’s technique, but it also impacts the ball’s trajectory and spin.

Many elements come together in a golf swing. Grip, stance, backswing, and the moment of impact are crucial. Yet, what happens after the ball is struck is just as important.

Each movement in golf, no matter how minor it seems, affects the result. The follow-through is no exception. In fact, it might be one of the most telling aspects of a player’s game. A disjointed follow-through can often signal a flawed swing. On the other hand, a fluid and controlled follow-through is typically a sign of mastery.

So, why is the follow-through so often overlooked? Perhaps it is because once the ball is in the air, the focus shifts. Players might be more concerned about the ball’s destination than their posture. However, the experienced golfer knows the truth. The journey does not end when the ball leaves the club.

Understanding the Importance of Follow-Through

To start with, it directly influences the ball’s flight and spin. After making contact, your club’s path and speed will affect the trajectory of the ball. Hence, mastering your follow-through can help you gain better control over the ball’s direction.

Moreover, a proper follow-through ensures that you have transferred your weight correctly. Consequently, the weight shift is crucial for maximizing distance. It is not just about power, it is about harnessing that power efficiently.

The Basics of a Good Follow-Through

So, what does a good follow-through look like? Firstly, your chest should face the target. This position indicates a complete rotation of the upper body. Secondly, your trail shoulder should be closer to the target than the lead one. This alignment showcases that you have maintained your spine angle throughout the swing.

Furthermore, your hands should finish high, around head height. When achieved, it means you have stayed connected throughout your swing, allowing consistent ball striking. Lastly, balance is paramount. If you are falling over or feeling unstable, something has gone awry.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Now that we have covered the basics, it is time to address common mistakes. Firstly, many golfers tend to “cut off’ their follow-through. This action typically results in a loss of distance and direction. Instead, always aim for a full, relaxed finish.

Another frequent error is failing to rotate the hips. Consequently, this lack of rotation often leads to a “chicken wing” finish. That finish is when the lead arm bends sharply at the elbow. As a result, shots become inconsistent. Remember, hip rotation is a key component of a solid follow-through.

Drills to Perfect Your Follow-Through

To improve, practice is crucial. Here are a few drills to help you master your follow-through:

Mirror Drill

First, stand in front of a mirror with your club. Next, swing slowly, focusing on the end position. By doing so, you can visually confirm if you are achieving the right positions.

One Foot Drill

Here, address the ball with only your lead foot on the ground. Consequently, this drill forces you to maintain balance and ensure a proper weight shift. Practice this drill without the ball first, then gradually introduce it.

Towel Drill

Fold a towel and place it under both armpits. Next, make swings without letting the towel fall. As a result, this exercise helps in maintaining a connection throughout the swing, essential for a good follow-through.

Mental Aspect of the Follow-Through

Lastly, the mental game plays a significant role. In essence, visualizing a successful follow-through can lead to better execution. Before taking a shot, picture in your mind the ideal finish position. Furthermore, trust your swing. Overthinking can lead to tension, which invariably disrupts the natural flow.

Finish Your Swing

The follow-through is where all the elements of the golf swing culminate. Every nuanced movement, every intentional adjustment, reaches its climax in the final act of the follow-through. Moreover, it is not just an ornamental gesture. It is an embodiment of technique, form, and intent.

The power of the follow-through goes beyond mere aesthetics. Indeed, it holds the key to refining shots, enhancing control, and solidifying one’s stance. A perfect shot might be initiated at the start, but it is truly defined at the end. Therefore, mastering the follow-through is not just beneficial – it is essential.

Yet, the follow-through often gets sidelined. Overlooking it is like leaving the swing midway. However, it is crucial to remember that perfection is a journey. With each swing, with each repetition, the follow-through grows stronger.

So, the next time on the course, give the follow-through its due. Embrace its significance, and let it elevate your game.

Golf Swing Follow-Through Tips – How to Finish Like a Pro

June 18, 2023 Dan No Comments

From time to time I hear one thing related to the golf swing follow-through. When you are swinging your club think about where you want to be. In other words, execute your swing well so you can finish in the right position. There are things you can do to get there starting from checking a few golf swing follow-through tips in this article.

You should think of your follow-through as the reflection of what you do in your golf swing. There is a good chance a good swing will lead to a good follow-through.

It also goes the other way around. A poorly executed swing leads to a poor follow-through. That means your follow-through is more important than you might think.

You can look at your follow-through as a shortcut to see what might be wrong with your swing. If something does not look right, it means one or more other swing components are a bit off. For it to work properly all the previous parts of your swing have to work fine. It might be the last part of your swing, but it is far from the least important one.

Straighten Your Arms After Impact

If your golf swing is solid, your lead arm stays straight from the takeaway until the very last phase of the follow-through. At the same time, your trail arm is bent until your clubhead is a few feet after impact. Now, once your trail arm does straighten a few feet after impact, it should stay straight until the last moments of the follow-through.

That means your both arms are straight in your swing just after impact until just before you finish your swing. It is important you do it that way because that means you did all the previous elements correctly. Some coaches recommend thinking about the follow-through being executed correctly which can help all the other parts of your swing.

One of the major things straightening your arms after impact will help you with is club release. Knowing that your both arms should be straight a few feet after impact can basically tell you when to release your club. Doing that correctly will mean that you hear that swoosh sound just around impact as you should and not too early or too late.

Finish the Rotation

This is very important especially when it comes to more power in the swing and solid impact. If you do not finish the rotation in your swing means you most likely finished your swing too early. That will bring a lot of inconsistency to your swing and will rob you of both solid contact and distance.

Finishing the rotation looks the way you are facing the target at the end of the follow-through. Facing the target at the end of your swing is a good checkpoint for completed rotation. That means your upper body and your hips both facing the target. If that is not the case, it is time to make some adjustments.

Weight on Lead Leg

This is absolutely essential if you want to become a solid ball striker. There are other swing components that lead to this outcome. It is a good checkpoint to know if you are executing your swing properly. In case your weight is more to the trail side during the follow-through and at the end of the swing, that needs to be addressed.

Having the weight more to the trail side will lead to different types of poor hits. That includes fat shots and thin shots. You can run a quick test to see where you are at. Next time you go to the range hit a ball and see where you feel your weight after you finish your swing. If you feel your lead leg supporting your body, all is good.

Finishing Position Based on the Shot

In this case, the finishing position will tell you if you did what you intended to do. Let’s put it this way, for a shorter shot your swing should finish sooner than for a longer shot. That is going to be reflected mostly in your arms’ finishing position. The same goes for the type of shot you were trying to hit.

For example, if you wanted to hit a higher ball your arms and club should finish higher up. If you were looking for a lower flight, your arms, and club should finish a bit lower. This is also a good thing to envision when you are trying to execute a certain shot. You think about the finishing position and then get there by doing that shot.

Reverse It to Check Your Swing

Here is one suggestion I have heard in the past. You can set yourself up in the swing finish position and reverse engineer it to figure things out. That way you can work your swing starting from the follow-through first. It gives you the opportunity to see what things lead to a certain position from the end to the beginning of the swing.

With that deeper understanding of your swing, you can find out what to fix from a different perspective. It might not work for everyone, but it is an idea of an unusual approach that could help you. Finally, I like to repeat how basics are crucial in a golf swing. Work on your follow-through basics as much as you can. It will bring more happiness to your golf game.

You may also like:

Golf Downswing Tips – How to Approach the Impact

Golf Impact Position – 5 Tips to Hit It Pure

Categories: Follow Through Golf Swing Golf Tips

Golf Swing Follow Through for Beginners – Finish Your Swing in Style

January 31, 2022 Dan No Comments

So far the covered parts in the golf swing for beginners series are the stance, the backswing, and the downswing. The final part is the golf swing follow-through for beginners which does not just help you finish in style but also tells a lot about your whole golf swing execution. The more your pose at the end of your follow-through resembles one of the pro golfers on tour, the better the chance your swing was good.

It does not have to look exactly the same, but close enough is preferred. If the backswing and downswing are well executed, it naturally translates into a good execution of the follow-through. As soon as something is off and out of position, it reflects in the follow-through.

Here is the breakdown of the moving parts in the follow-through:

Arms Movement – tells how the contact was, tells us the ball trajectory, tells the intensity of the swing.
Wrists Movement – helps to release the club on time.
Legs Movement – helps to complete the turn.
Upper Body Movement – it helps to complete the turn and helps with stability through the swing.
Hips Movement – helps to transfer the energy to the lead side, and helps to complete the turn.
Shoulders Movement – helps the arms and the club to complete the turn in a circle.
Head Movement – helps to complete the turn.
Club Movement – shows how the contact was, tells the ball trajectory, tells the intensity of the swing.

Categories: Follow Through Golf Swing